Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

These odd black trees bore no leaves. Yet from their branches hung countless air roots, which under the moonlight seemed all the more ghastly and terrifying.

At this time, among these black trees, one especially tall and dark tree stood out.

It was a dead tree without a crown, as if its head had been chopped off. Their bare gnarled branches twisted outward, resembling two arms stretched out.

At the foot of this tree lay an unknown depth of crevice.

Following the crevice down, one would find an enormous, churning blood lake below, with bubbles occasionally gurgling up on the surface. The thick, indissoluble scent of blood congealed in the air.

A young daoist clad in a blood-red robe sat cross-legged with closed eyes by the lakeside.

Crrack, crrack.

Under the moonlit night, a mysterious figure with a black hood, tall and towering, stepped forward in the moonlight, leaving deep footprints on the soft earth. His arrival stirred the viciousness of the black birds perched on the trees.

Countless black birds flapped their wings and flew towards him with blood-red eyes, only to be turned into mush by the man's fist as large as a cooking pot.

He then moved to the tree without a crown, glanced at the deep fissure, and without a blink, jumped right in. Behind him lay the corpses of numerous birds.

"Subordinate pays respect to the Great Protector."

"Following the Longevity God to save the world with boundless mercy."

The mysterious figure came to the side of the blood-robed daoist, knelt down as if toppling a tower of gold and pillars of jade.

"Rise. Who now holds the left arm of the Longevity God? Who spoiled the good deed of our sect?"

A voice filled with sudden fury emerged, echoing throughout the underground, causing rubble to fall from the cavern's walls into the blood lake, splashing up droplets shaped like flowers.

Hearing the Great Protector's furious voice, the once domineering mysterious figure trembled, and quickly replied,

"Reporting to the Great Protector, we received a message from our undercover agent at the Peacekeeping Division. We seem to have been ensnared in the Peacekeeping Division's scheme."

"Our actions in Fengyun County had already been anticipated by the Peacekeeping Division. They deceived us, turned our plan against us, and seized the left arm of the Longevity God after we summoned it."

A glint of divine light flashed in the eyes of the blood-robed daoist, and after a moment of contemplation, he spoke,

"I always feel there is something fishy about this matter."

"Tyrant Chicken, I entrust this task to you."

"Go to Fengyun County yourself, investigate the truth. If it really is a trap set by the Peacekeeping Division, so be it, but if someone has disrupted our sect's plan, you know what to do."

"I will uphold the Great Protector's command."

The mysterious figure said in a deep voice as he pulled down his hood, revealing a gigantic chicken head under the light of the Luminous Pearls in the underground chamber.

As it turned out, this mysterious person was one with the head of a chicken and the body of a man.

With a red beak, dark skin, a green cockscomb atop his head, and two white lines that meandered from his shoulders to his waist, his body swelled with bulging muscles that seemed to have each undergone puberty independently; his fists could stand a person, his arms could run a horse.

The chicken-headed man clasped his fists in salute, suddenly rose to his feet, and swiftly departed with decisive steps.

After he left, the blood-robed daoist raised his left hand, and a small crystal coffin slowly rose from the blood lake, inside which lay an infant's torso and two legs.

The blood-robed daoist sighed,

"Alas, with the left arm of the True Monarch falling into the hands of the Peacekeeping Division, things have become troublesome."

"Time is running short."

The gaze of the blood-robed daoist fell upon the crystal coffin, a flicker of greed passing swiftly through his eyes, then with a wave of his hand, the crystal coffin slowly sank back into the blood lake.

...

...

...

The following day, as the sun risen high, Yi Chen finally got out of bed leisurely.

Little Miao lay quietly at his bedside. It liked the scent of Pure Yang on Yi Chen, insisting on being by his side at night. Unable to dissuade it, Yi Chen simply let it be.

After introducing Little Miao to Qing Yunzi and the others, Yi Chen had Qing Feng and Ming Yue take Little Miao out to play, as he had matters to discuss with Qing Yunzi.

"What? Expand the temple?

"And adopt a few more children?" Qing Yunzi looked at Yi Chen in surprise, "Senior brother, where are we going to get that much money?"

Yi Chen, like a magician, pulled out three thousand taels of banknotes from his carrying pouch and handed them over to Qing Yunzi, shocking Qing Yunzi to the core.

He knew Yi Chen had earned a lot of banknotes, but he didn't expect there to be so much.

For a moment, his gaze started to become strange.

What industry has our eldest senior brother empowered this time? How did he suddenly earn so many banknotes?

It wasn't long before a bump landed on his head.

"How dare you look at your eldest senior brother with that kind of eyes? All these banknotes are what your eldest senior brother earned with his own skills."

Yi Chen knocked on the table, "Junior brother, the expansion of the temple is now in your hands. Hiring workers, supervising quality, and the like, all require your attention. Don't be afraid to spend money, just go ahead and do it."

"After the temple expansion is complete, go find Chief Zhang and tell him you want to recruit a few orphans with clean backgrounds into our Hidden Dragon Temple. He will help you."

"Senior brother, I'm afraid I won't do it well, maybe you should do it," Qing Yunzi habitually shied away.

"If you don't do it well, you learn to do it. Is there anyone born knowing everything? Be bold and do it; your senior brother is behind you if you fall short."

Yi Chen waved his hand decisively, not allowing any objection to settle the matter.

This was a decision he made after careful consideration.

Qing Yunzi and the others could not always live under his protection; they needed to stand out and temper themselves.

The future master of Hidden Dragon Temple couldn't be someone inexperienced in the ways of the world. Assigning him the task of temple expansion was the first step in tempering him.

This might cost them a tuition fee, spend a bit more money, and result in a few falls, but all of it was worth it.

Facing losses isn't scary; what's scary is not knowing where you have lost. With Qing Yunzi's intelligence, Yi Chen believed he would understand.

This kind of tempering, dealing with all kinds of people, would also benefit Qing Yunzi's cultivation.

In this realm, breaking through in cultivation requires a certain level of spiritual realm.

One of the requirements during spiritual awakening is to see one's true nature, and as one ascends to higher realms, the spiritual requirements become even higher.

Even in cultivation, you cannot simply hide in a deep mountain or cloister yourself in a tower, indifferent to the seasons passing by.

Running away and avoiding the world, pretending to be detached from all methods, may seem transcendent but in reality, it can lead to a deviant path.

How can the spirit grow strong without experiencing trials?

How can you appreciate beauty if you've never seen ugliness?

If you've never been part of the world, how can you claim to be apart from it?

All high-level cultivators must first engage with the world before withdrawing from it; none become experts by enduring hardship in one place alone.

The elite disciples of major sects and noble families all venture out into the world to see and experience it, using their experiences to nourish and strengthen their hearts.

Reading thousands of books is not as good as walking thousands of miles.

Learning from books feels shallow; one must experience things personally to truly understand, that's what it means.

Ever since Yi Chen took over the position of Sect Leader of Hidden Dragon Temple, Qing Yunzi had become a bit too reliant on him, one thing after another.

This was a bad sign.

Relying on mountains, mountains collapse; relying on people, people fall; one must learn to be self-reliant.

He still remembered the astonishment and wariness he saw on the face of the Corpse God's True Person when they had a separate confrontation, when at the last moment they noticed the Yin Manor mark on Yi Chen's body.

Just a separated spirit almost pushed Yi Chen of today into a desperate situation. High-level characters like these avoided Yin Manor to the greatest extent, shrouded in taboo, which elevated Yi Chen's sense of crisis regarding Yin Manor to a new level.

If he hadn't the sword of Damocles hanging over his head, not knowing when it might fall, he'd rather not subject himself to such torturous training.

Had it not been for the deterrent of Yin Manor, Yi Chen would never dare to assign himself such arduous tasks.

Sometimes without pushing yourself, you never know how much potential you have.

Now, Yi Chen through daily diligent practice with the Thunder Punishment Jade, could gain about one Origin Point every two days; his efficiency far exceeded that of the old days of fish-blasting.

Under the pressure of a death crisis, he dare not relax for a moment.

After arranging everything, Yi Chen let out a long sigh, ready to enjoy a rare moment of leisure when suddenly a rider came from afar, it turned out to be Lin Baihu Lin Zhengyi.

"Daoist, the old matriarch of the Wang family may only have a couple of days left. Would you be available to come to the county town tomorrow?"

Yi Chen, who had just spent a lump sum of three thousand taels and was looking to make ends meet, promptly agreed.

"You can rest assured, Baihu. I will set out early tomorrow morning and will certainly not miss the hour."